John Gerritsen

Thousands of children have returned to schools and early childhood centres across the country today - but in smaller numbers than expected.

Most schools and some early childhood centres reopened… Audio

Several thousand schools and early learning centres are partially reopening today for the first time in five weeks.

Because it's Alert Level 3, only the children up to Year 10 whose parents can't… Audio

Principals are expecting few children will turn up for class when schools partially reopen next week.

They say early indications range from none at all to as many as 15 percent of students returning.

Health fears and lack of demand are likely to keep many early childhood centres shut when schools partially reopen next week.

Sector leaders say many centre owners and teachers are still not… Audio

Early childhood services want more evidence it will be safe to reopen next week and some are likely to remain closed.

The government says schools and early learning centres will open on 29 April for… Audio

Secondary principals are worried that several more weeks of remote learning for senior students will be bad for those from poor families and those studying practical subjects.

Neil Watson from… Audio

Schools are demanding clear guidelines on how they will be expected to re-open when level 4 lifts.

Yesterday the Government announced what to expect when the country moves to Alert Level 3 - which… Audio

Schools reopen after two weeks of holiday today, but nobody is going to class.

More than 800,000 teachers and students will be doing the morning roll call from home because of the lockdown.

It's the… Audio

Children of all ages return to school for Term 2 tomorrow - though they'll be learning virtually, with the classrooms and school grounds still off-limits.

Teachers will be delivering lessons to… Audio

A pregnant nurse is angry and upset that the DHB she works for is refusing to give her special leave during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The woman says her midwife has advised her to isolate herself… Audio

The $5 billion foreign student industry is facing a massive downturn with as many as half of this year's enrolements now in doubt.

Visa figures indicate only 60,000 of the nearly 120,000… Audio

Today is the final day that New Zealanders can fly or catch ferries home for the lockdown.

The government extended the deadline for domestic travel to midnight tonight after thousands of people found… Audio

The Teaching Council is asking the government to close schools and daycare centres immediately in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The call comes in an open letter from the council's chief… Audio

Schools are cancelling class trips overseas because of travel restrictions and insurance problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many schools have been trying to decide what to do about trips that… Audio

School librarians are fed up with repeated funding cuts and now they're calling for legal protection.

They want the government to pass a law requiring all schools to have a library and they want it… Audio

A survey shows one in five schools cut spending on their library last year. School librarians say that's terrible and they want the government to protect their funding and their place in the school… Audio

The number of teachers working past retirement age has more than doubled in the past ten years, and there are hundreds over the age of 75.

Education Ministry records show there were about 7000… Audio

Schools are exmploying thousands more teachers over retirement age and hundreds who are 75 or over.

Education Ministry figures show there were 7000 such teachers in 2018, double the number a decade… Audio